Bouncing Back From Fitness Injuries

You think you’re pretty fit. You exercise regularly, eat right, and make sure your body is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to perform at its best. But that doesn’t make you immune to injury. Trained athletes suffer fitness injuries all the time. You could be susceptible, too, and perhaps you’ve already suffered back pain or a sprained ankle during the course of your exercise program.

So what do you do to bounce back? Doctors and physical therapists agree that you need to give yourself time to heal. But that doesn’t mean giving up exercise in the meantime. It does mean taking care of yourself, however, and sometimes the best thing you can do for an injury is evaluate how it happened in the first place.

The Most Common Fitness Injuries

When Is It Time to See a Doctor?While many common fitness injuries such as an ankle sprain, a muscle strain, or knee pain are treatable at home, some problems do require the attention of a physician. “There are red flags,” says Schlifstein. “If you have back pain that travels down your leg, spasms, numbness, or pins and needles, it’s time to visit the doctor,” he says. He adds that persistent pain of any kind also requires a physician’s attention.

Ben Kibler, MD, FACSM, medical director for the Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Center in Kentucky, says that almost all fitness injuries result from the individual not being in shape, doing too much too soon, or using improper body mechanics. He advises getting a fitness evaluation from a sports medicine professional, if possible, before beginning any exercise program.

If you do get injured, take it seriously. Kibler says if the pain doesn’t go away within a week or you have discoloration and lots of swelling, you need to see a physician.

Staying in Shape While You Recover Even if you can’t engage in your normal exercise program while recovering from a fitness injury, that doesn’t mean you should give up on exercise for however many weeks it takes to heal. You may have to reduce or eliminate strengthening activities for awhile, but don’t neglect cardiovascular fitness. Here are some alternate cardio programs to try that don’t put strain on joints and muscles:

Water aerobics

Running in water

Working out on a stationary bike

Upper body training (if you have a leg, knee, or foot injury)

Among the most common fitness-related injuries is back pain. “Lower back pain is the second most common reason people go to a doctor,” says Todd Schlifstein, MD, an assistant professor at the New York School of Medicine and attending physician at New York University Medical Center. “Usually it’s caused by muscular back strain.” Even people who are physically active are not always attentive to strengthening their back muscles, and weak muscles are a primary cause of injury during exercise.

Is Running 'Good' Again?

Running has gotten a bad rap for a long time—bad for your knees, bad for your bones, bad for older people.

Many people are advised to find a lower-impact exercise and give up running. But is running really so bad for you? Recent studies and running experts say no. In fact, running can be an effective form of exercise well into our older years.

James Fries, MD, professor emeritus of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an avid runner in his early 70s, has been researching the effects of running since the 1980s, when many scientists thought vigorous exercise would be harmful for older adults. Following the advent of the 1970s jogging craze, physicians predicted that runners would be plagued by knee and other orthopedic injuries, and these predictions gave rise to the myth that running is bad for the body.

The Case for Running

A study at Stanford University School of Medicine, published in 2008, tracked more than 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Participants were in their 50s when the study began and continued running throughout the 20-year span of the study. At the start, they logged roughly four hours per week; after 20 years, their average weekly running time decreased to 76 minutes. Now in their 70s and 80s, the runners have experienced fewer disabilities remained more active longer than nonrunners. Moreover, there have been fewer deaths among them.

“Initial disability for runners started about 16 years later than for nonrunners,” explains Fries. Disability was measured by yearly questionnaires about everyday activities such as walking, dressing, and getting out of a chair. Runners were better able to maintain functionality when performing everyday tasks, even into their 90s, which Fries attributes to their greater lean body mass and healthier habits. The study also indicates that running delayed death due to cardiovascular problems, cancer, neurological disease, and infections.

Running is one of the best cardiovascular exercises, says Lisa C. Ostergaard, who has a BS in exercise science and is a certified personal trainer and competitive runner. “For older adults, continuing to run not only improves cardiovascular health but also can give them an enormous sense of accomplishment, helping them maintain youth and vitality as well as improving quality of life,” she says.

How can older adults continue to run safely as they age? “There are goals that may need to be altered to accommodate age-related physical changes,” explains Ostergaard. If you ran 7-minute miles when you were thirty, you may need to take 9 minutes to cover the same distance when you’re 60. “The goal is to feel OK with that and not push yourself beyond your physical capabilities.”

Technique

Paying attention to running technique can pave the way for safe running into our older years. Danny Dreyer, creator of ChiRunning and ChiWalking, which blend tai chi with...

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